Hello Cloud: First Steps into the Sky Realm
By IT-Journey Team
Create your first cloud account, install a cloud CLI, and deploy a simple resource safely.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Welcome, skybound adventurer! You stand at the edge of the mortal realm, gazing up at the shimmering Sky Realm β a vast kingdom of infinite compute power, boundless storage vaults, and magical services that can scale from a whisper to a thunderclap. Today, you claim your first foothold in the clouds.
But beware: the Sky Realmβs resources carry a cost. Careless adventurers have been bankrupted by forgotten resources left running in the mist. This quest teaches you to explore safely, provision wisely, and always clean up after your experiments.
π― Quest Objectives
Primary Objectives (Required for Quest Completion)
- Claim Your Sky Realm Passport β Create a cloud account with proper security wards (MFA)
- Forge Your Cloud Wand (CLI) β Install and authenticate a cloud command-line interface
- Summon Your First Cloud Creature β Provision a minimal VM or storage artifact
- Banish Your Creation β Destroy all resources to prevent gold drain (cost leaks)
Bonus Objectives (Optional Achievements)
- Activate protective wards: MFA and billing alerts
- Scout the free-tier treasure map and catalog available services
πΊοΈ Quest Prerequisites
π Knowledge Requirements
- Basic command-line incantations (terminal usage)
- Familiarity with realm registries (accounts and billing dashboards)
π οΈ System Requirements
- Stable portal connection (internet)
- Communication crystal (email + phone) for cloud signup
π Choose Your Sky Kingdom
Each Sky Kingdom offers unique powers. Pick one for your first expedition β you can explore others later on your journey.
| Kingdom | Strengths | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | Vast army of services, battle-tested | General-purpose cloud mastery |
| Azure | Strong Microsoft alliance, enterprise fortifications | Windows-integrated workflows |
| GCP | Elegant developer tools, powerful data magic | Data science and clean APIs |
This quest includes GCP helper scrolls (scripts) for a low-friction first adventure.
π§ββοΈ Chapter 1: Account Setup & Protective Wards
Every wise cloud mage secures their realm before summoning resources:
- Create your account with your chosen Sky Kingdom provider.
- Enable MFA β your first defensive ward against intruders.
- Set a billing alert β an alarm spell that warns you before gold is spent.
- Review free-tier limits β know what treasures you can summon without cost.
π§° Chapter 2: Forge Your Cloud Wand (CLI Installation)
The Cloud CLI is your wand β the tool through which you channel commands to the Sky Realm.
From this quest directory, review and run the helper scrolls (GCP example):
./gcp/gcp-start.sh
./gcp/gcloud-cs.sh
Verify your wand is attuned (authenticated):
gcloud auth list
gcloud config list
βοΈ Chapter 3: Summon Your First Cloud Creature
Time to test your power! Summon a tiny VM using the provided incantation script:
./gcp/vm-startup.sh
Validate that your creature has materialized and is running in the Sky Realm.
π§Ή Chapter 4: Banish & Clean Up
A careless mage leaves creatures roaming the clouds, draining gold with every passing hour. Always banish what you summon:
gcloud compute instances list
gcloud compute instances delete <instance-name>
If you conjured other artifacts (storage buckets, networks), banish them now to avoid surprise charges.
π Quest Completion Checklist
- Cloud account created with MFA ward activated
- Billing alert spell configured
- Cloud CLI wand forged and authenticated
- Cloud creature summoned and then properly banished
π References & Resources
- AWS Free Tier
- Azure Free Account
- GCP Free Tier
- Google Cloud CLI Documentation
- AWS CLI Getting Started
- Azure CLI Documentation